The Board has determined that the cause of the veteran's death was not caused or contributed to by a service-connected disability, and therefore, the claim for service connection for the cause of death is denied. Additionally, the appellant does not meet the criteria for dependents' educational assistance under Chapter 35 due to lack of basic eligibility.
The deciding factor: The Board found no competent evidence linking the veteran's fatal nasopharyngeal cancer and malnutrition to his military service or a service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- nasopharyngeal carcinoma, malnutrition
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 2, 2007
- Citation
- 0712919
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0712919.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's cause of death due to recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to exposure to herbicides in service, including Agent Orange.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of death due to lack of evidence linking the Veteran's carcinoma of the pharynx to his service or a service-connected disability, and there was no indication that the cancer was related to herbicide exposure.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of August 10, 2022, for the award of service connection for nasopharyngeal carcinoma based on the Veteran's claim being filed within one year of the PACT Act's passage.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including psychiatric disorders and musculoskeletal issues, due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
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